Candlelight
by StarTrekkie1
Summary: The story of how Tom Paris found out about the candles on the dinnertable during the *cough* work *cough* dinners of Captain Janeway and Chakotay...


**All Star Trek things are not mine. Where they mine... sigh.. a fanfiction writer and Trekkie fan can only dream of that. Anyways, it's all Paramounts property and I'm just playing around with what I wish that had been canon:**

 **The J/C feels... sigh... 3**

Tom Eugene Paris sat behind his console, piloting the ship. There wasn't really anything to do right now, no aliens, no Borg and other crazy spacy things. Tom turned around when he heard the doors open from the turbolift. First officer Chakotay walked on the bridge with his rapport in the hand.

'Good morning everyone.' He greeted. Everyone nodded and mumbled 'a good morning, commander' back and returned to work. Except for Tom Paris.

'Have you seen the captain, Chakotay?' Asked Tom.

'No. Maybe she's in her ready room working late.' Said Chakotay and sat down in his seat.

'Oh, I thought you would know where she is, being her boyfriend and all…' Said Tom nonchalantly and a bit too innocent.

'Excuse me, Mr. Paris?' Asked Chakotay.

'Well, you can't deny it anymore Chakotay, she is head over heels in love with ya. Eating together in the mess hall, you putting an arm around her during the movie in the holodeck and dinners in her quarters.' Said Tom.

'Thóse are **work** dinners!' Protested Chakotay.

'Yeah, so those candles on the table are just for 'work'.' Said Tom smiling.

'Shut up, Paris. Wait.. how do you know there are candles on the table?' Asked Chakotay suspicious. 'Who has candles on the table?' Kathryn Janeway was standing behind Chakotay. Nobody had noticed her entering the bridge.

'Uhm…. We're…' Said Chakotay, looking at the floor as if the right words would be there.

'I wanted to surprise B'Elanna with a romantic dinner and I asked Chakotay for some ideas.' Said Tom Paris, enjoying the first officers unease. Kathryn nodded and sat down next to Chakotay.

Tom Paris turned to his work, smiling. He thought back at two days ago and how he had found out about the candles. It had all started in the messhall…

 _Two days ago.._

Tom Paris was eating dinner with Harry Kim and B'Elanna. Tom was looking at the captain and Chakotay who were eating dinner together.

'Tom, what are you looking at? Their just eating dinner!' Scowled B'Elanna, recognizing that mischievous gleam in his eyes.

'B'Elanna, I just know that the captain and Chakotay are a couple!' Said Tom.

'Not this again…' Complained Harry.

'I need both of your help. I heard that they are going to eat dinner tomorrow night together, in her quarters.' Said Tom.

'I swear to you Tom, if this 'genious' idea brings us into trouble I'll rip out your heart and eat it.' Muttered B'Elanna.

'Love you too, honey. Harry, I need you tomorrow night to crawl through the Jefferies tube and sneak in the captain's room and take a picture of them and then go back. B'Elanna, I need you to keep watch.' Said Tom.

'That is so not going to work.' Said Harry.

'C'mon Harry, where is your sense of adventure?' Asked Tom.

'I left it in the brig we had to stay in for two days because we had put alcohol in the captain's coffee!' Said Harry angrily.

But after some pleading and bribery Harry and B'Elanna finally succumbed to Tom.

The next evening Tom, B'Elanna and Harry met each other next to a Jefferies tube. Tom had a camera with him and handed it to Harry.

'Here, what you have to do is crawl through this tube, go left and you're directly at the captain's quarters. Open the hatch carefully, snap a picture of the lovebirds and come back.' Harry sighed but crawled in the Jefferies tube.

'Paris to Kim.'

'Harry here.'

'How's it going.'

'Fine.'

'Well, that's good. B'Elanna, go and watch out. If Tuvok finds us trying to break in the captain's quarters we are going to have a lot of problems. Status, Harry?'

'I'm at the hatch to the captain's quarters.'

'Good, can you open it?'

'SHHH….'

'YEAH!'

'TOM!'

Tom could hear the sound of a hatch being opened and heard Harry's breathing.

Harry was now in the captain's bedroom. He heard the voices of the captain and Chakotay and grabbed the camera. He was a stupid guy to succumb to Tom but.. he was here now. He peeked through the door opening and his eyes widened. Captain Janeway and Chakotay were kissing passionately. Harry closed the commn link.

He couldn't photograph the captain kissing Chakotay. He would be killed by captain Janeway and it felt like betraying his parents. And the captain and Chakotay deserved their privacy. He smiled at the sight of Chakotay holding the captain in his arms carefully like she was a porcelain doll. They deserve this. He wasn't going to let that be ruined by Tom who would definitely show the picture to everyone. Tom was a good guy, but sometimes a little bit too eager to interfere with somebody's personal matters.

He climbed in the Jefferies tube and closed the hatch and crawled back to Tom.

'And?' Asked Tom eagerly.

'They were eating dinner together, there are candles on the table.' Lied Harry.

'Have you snapped a pic?'

'No, that would have drawn their attention.' Said Harry.

It didn't matter to Tom. Candles on the table, that was definitely romantic. He got the camera and helped Harry on his feet.

Harry smiled. Sometimes lying wasn't really bad. Like this time.


End file.
